Driving over the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. I love this bridge and can't say exactly why! It's just a great piece of architecture and landmark of California... definitely something to see while you're in San Francisco.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Travel Photo Tuesday: San Francisco, CA
Driving over the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. I love this bridge and can't say exactly why! It's just a great piece of architecture and landmark of California... definitely something to see while you're in San Francisco.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Mayercraft: Pros & Cons
Last February, I embarked on an adventure called the Mayercraft Carrier.
A three day cruise to the Bahamas, with John Mayer as host, and a whole bunch of other bands playing on a sort of music festival at sea. Other than the massive disaster that was American Airlines losing my luggage for the entire cruise (and the seven weeks that followed the cruise), it was an amazing trip. Great music, fun day trip in the Bahamas... and being stuck on a ship with John Mayer wasn't anything to shake a stick at, either.
In a possibly brilliant, possibly misguided move, my friends and I re-upped for this year's Mayercraft Carrier 2. This year, the cruise will be to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be longer, and most importantly, will depart from the Los Angeles, eliminating all possibilities of American Airlines losing my luggage again.
Since booking Mayercraft 2009, we've determined that there are some serious pros and cons to booking a trip like this... For a while we were up in the air about the ingenuity of booking. But we determined it was a good choice for us, even while it might not be for everyone.
Here are the pros and cons to Mayercraft.
Pros:
You're on a boat with John Mayer.
You get to see all kinds of music and comedy shows.
Free food.
Cruise to Cabo, plus a day to hang out at the beach in Cabo or go on a crazy adventure.
Everything is paid for months before you leave, so it almost feels "free."
Little to no communication with the outside world means total relaxation.
Tons of fun things to do on the boat, if you choose.
Cons:
You're on a boat with John Mayer, and so are 3,000 other people. (And there are some CRAZY John Mayer fans out there)
There's a chance you won't like the other musicians on the boat since they're not announced before you book. (Fortunately, we like them all)
Sodas and alcohol are not included in the overall price.
If you've been to Cabo, this might not be a big deal for you.
There are random last minute taxes and "fuel" fees.
If you HAVE to have Internet, it costs an arm and a leg.
You're stuck on a boat.
So, is it worth it?
For me, definitely. I can avoid the other people on the boat if I need to. I enjoy enough of the artists to see shows all the time. I am dying for a few days to chill out with girlfriends, sit in the sun, read, nap, and have a generally relaxing time. I love the never ending food on cruises, and I am not a heavy drinker. (And I think for this trip we'll try and bring on a bottle of booze if we can, to further reduce costs.) Plus, I've never been down to Cabo San Lucas, so that's one more place I can knock off my travel map.
But careful consideration should go into booking a trip like this. Unless you're fine with frivolously spending money, a different vacation might be better for you if the cons I listed above are deal breakers for you!
A three day cruise to the Bahamas, with John Mayer as host, and a whole bunch of other bands playing on a sort of music festival at sea. Other than the massive disaster that was American Airlines losing my luggage for the entire cruise (and the seven weeks that followed the cruise), it was an amazing trip. Great music, fun day trip in the Bahamas... and being stuck on a ship with John Mayer wasn't anything to shake a stick at, either.
In a possibly brilliant, possibly misguided move, my friends and I re-upped for this year's Mayercraft Carrier 2. This year, the cruise will be to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be longer, and most importantly, will depart from the Los Angeles, eliminating all possibilities of American Airlines losing my luggage again.
Since booking Mayercraft 2009, we've determined that there are some serious pros and cons to booking a trip like this... For a while we were up in the air about the ingenuity of booking. But we determined it was a good choice for us, even while it might not be for everyone.
Here are the pros and cons to Mayercraft.
Pros:
You're on a boat with John Mayer.
You get to see all kinds of music and comedy shows.
Free food.
Cruise to Cabo, plus a day to hang out at the beach in Cabo or go on a crazy adventure.
Everything is paid for months before you leave, so it almost feels "free."
Little to no communication with the outside world means total relaxation.
Tons of fun things to do on the boat, if you choose.
Cons:
You're on a boat with John Mayer, and so are 3,000 other people. (And there are some CRAZY John Mayer fans out there)
There's a chance you won't like the other musicians on the boat since they're not announced before you book. (Fortunately, we like them all)
Sodas and alcohol are not included in the overall price.
If you've been to Cabo, this might not be a big deal for you.
There are random last minute taxes and "fuel" fees.
If you HAVE to have Internet, it costs an arm and a leg.
You're stuck on a boat.
So, is it worth it?
For me, definitely. I can avoid the other people on the boat if I need to. I enjoy enough of the artists to see shows all the time. I am dying for a few days to chill out with girlfriends, sit in the sun, read, nap, and have a generally relaxing time. I love the never ending food on cruises, and I am not a heavy drinker. (And I think for this trip we'll try and bring on a bottle of booze if we can, to further reduce costs.) Plus, I've never been down to Cabo San Lucas, so that's one more place I can knock off my travel map.
But careful consideration should go into booking a trip like this. Unless you're fine with frivolously spending money, a different vacation might be better for you if the cons I listed above are deal breakers for you!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Travel Photo Tuesday: Baltimore, MD
Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. This used to be a power plant and now it has been converted to shops. The Barnes & Noble is the coolest one I've ever been in - an exposed industrial space, and the escalators had clear siding to show you how they worked. So cool!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
2009 Travel Plans
I was fortunate enough to travel quite a bit in 2008, and I am currently doing everything I can to continue that trend. I recently went over my previous plans for 2009, and updated them a bit... Here are my current plans for 2009.
2009 Planned And Booked Travel:
2009 Planned And Booked Travel:
- Mayercraft 2009 to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (girls' trip)
2009 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- Ireland, to get back to Europe and go to a place we've never been
- Portland or Minneapolis, to visit friends
BF and I would both really love to go on a trip to Ireland, so I've been spending a lot of time looking up places to go and links online with information. Here are a few of my favorite links, so far.
Tips for planning a trip to Ireland
Discover Ireland
Irish Getaways (Has some amazing looking travel deals)
Ireland B&B Network (where I would like to stay)
Ireland Hostel Listings (where BF would like to stay)
I think we are planning on going in either May or in August/September. I still have a lot of research to do on a possible trip out there, but cost wise, we're thinking 10-13 days. We want to see a good majority of the country, but of course have limited funds and vacation time.
So here's my inquiry: If you've been to Ireland, what is something we absolutely HAVE to see?
2009 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- Ireland, to get back to Europe and go to a place we've never been
- Portland or Minneapolis, to visit friends
BF and I would both really love to go on a trip to Ireland, so I've been spending a lot of time looking up places to go and links online with information. Here are a few of my favorite links, so far.
Tips for planning a trip to Ireland
Discover Ireland
Irish Getaways (Has some amazing looking travel deals)
Ireland B&B Network (where I would like to stay)
Ireland Hostel Listings (where BF would like to stay)
I think we are planning on going in either May or in August/September. I still have a lot of research to do on a possible trip out there, but cost wise, we're thinking 10-13 days. We want to see a good majority of the country, but of course have limited funds and vacation time.
So here's my inquiry: If you've been to Ireland, what is something we absolutely HAVE to see?
Travel Photo Tuesday: Intercourse, PA
One of the covered bridges in Amish country, PA. It was my favorite because it was the one you could actually drive across!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Awesome Resource: Free-Wi-Fi Locations in Europe
Stumbled upon this website a few weeks back and I think it is awesome. It is a list of free wi-fi locations all over Europe.
If you're traveling to Europe for a week or a year, this will come in handy!
Free Wi-Fi Directory
If you're traveling to Europe for a week or a year, this will come in handy!
Free Wi-Fi Directory
Friday, January 9, 2009
East Coast Road Trip: The Recap
I just realized I never got around to posting on this site about my East Coast road trip! We had a fabulous time and saw so much of the East Coast, it was fabulous. I posted all about it on my main blog, Long Winded & Proud, so here are all the links to my adventures.
We really packed as much as possible in!
We were immediately greeted with fall in Boston, went on an awesome Sam Adams tour, and made a half day trip to Salem. We were sad to leave Boston but had an amazing time there.
We ended up in New Haven on Sunday night, where I did a quick recap of the trip. That's when I ran into major computer problems, and couldn't post much more from the road. But I did still manage two more photos.
I did put together a photo post of all the important places we hit up on the trip. I got a ton of great shots, which I'm sure I'll post some of on here.
And! While in Philadelphia, we went on a Great Cheese Steak Adventure, which I documented with photos. I'll bring that post over sometime, because it's way too perfect for a travel site.
I'll end this with two of my favorite "people" shots from the trip: me and my travel buddy Kellie at a bar in Philly, and me at Chatham Manor in Virginia. What a great trip!
We really packed as much as possible in!
We were immediately greeted with fall in Boston, went on an awesome Sam Adams tour, and made a half day trip to Salem. We were sad to leave Boston but had an amazing time there.
We ended up in New Haven on Sunday night, where I did a quick recap of the trip. That's when I ran into major computer problems, and couldn't post much more from the road. But I did still manage two more photos.
I did put together a photo post of all the important places we hit up on the trip. I got a ton of great shots, which I'm sure I'll post some of on here.
And! While in Philadelphia, we went on a Great Cheese Steak Adventure, which I documented with photos. I'll bring that post over sometime, because it's way too perfect for a travel site.
I'll end this with two of my favorite "people" shots from the trip: me and my travel buddy Kellie at a bar in Philly, and me at Chatham Manor in Virginia. What a great trip!
Happy 2009!
Where are you visiting from?? I was thrilled to discover that I've had hits on this blog from all over the world. That was my original plan, so thanks everyone who has visited!
Hopefully, 2009 will bring lots more to this particular blog. I love travel and everything to do with travel... and am looking forward to lots of it this year, including new features and trips!
First up: Travel Photo Tuesdays. I am hoping to stay on track with this one and post a new photo of somewhere I've been or hope to go every Tuesday. See you around! (And as always, comments and feedback are much appreciated!
Happy 2009!
Hopefully, 2009 will bring lots more to this particular blog. I love travel and everything to do with travel... and am looking forward to lots of it this year, including new features and trips!
First up: Travel Photo Tuesdays. I am hoping to stay on track with this one and post a new photo of somewhere I've been or hope to go every Tuesday. See you around! (And as always, comments and feedback are much appreciated!
Happy 2009!
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